Bella...I mean, Clary, no wait...Luce...no? Oh right, Samantha. Samantha is a teenager with a crush on an older boy and finds herself finally being kissed by him. This kiss changes her, literally. Odd things start to happen, yada yada. She meets a boy...yay! That is the last thing I remember before falling into a coma until I finished DARK KISS. I am supposed to review the second book, WICKED KISS but for the sake of my mind I will pass.

I have left the world of regency for contemporary small town romances. Maybe it's the giddiness of being in love or the need for simple present-day happily ever after but I am loving small town USA. One of my favourites MUST-READ series is Brenda Novak's Whiskey Creek. I have read Novak's romantic suspense so wasn't surprised when I instantly became hooked...

WHEN WE TOUCH (Whiskey Creek: Book 0.5)Written by Brenda Novakgenre: contemporary romance

4 STARS

This novella is the introduction to Brenda Novak's newest series, Whiskey Creek. Olivia has always imagined that when she planned Kyle's wedding she would be the bride, not her younger sister, Noelle. During a break in their relationship, while Olivia built her business, Kyle slept with Noelle and had gotten her pregnant. As Olivia returns home to plan and attend the wedding she finds herself in the path of bad boy, Brandon. Brandon is Kyle's stepbrother and in no way friends. As she becomes more attracted to Brandon she is starting to realize that maybe Kyle was never meant for her.

Gail is the owner of a PR company that handles bad boy actor, Simon O'Neal. Simon is out of control and Gail finds herself getting sucked into a Jerry Maguire situation. As Simon tries to take Gail down he learns that if he wants to gain custody of his son he will need Gail. Gail down on her luck cannot believe she will need to help Simon to help herself. As the two work together they realize the person the thought they knew was only a front and their life starts to get more complicated.

To be honest I was not sure I would if I would even like this book. I am not really into the LA and acting scene so at first was a bit leery. However, Novak's writing kept me turning the pages until I literally could not turn the pages fast enough. I love Whiskey Creek and Gail and her friends. I am ready for another book, PLEASE.

A great introductory story - short and sweet. As I read this novella I was going through so many emotions like Olivia. I wanted to slap sense into Kyle as everyone but him knew he was headed for trouble. I liked how Novak wrote Noelle as it was so easy to make her into her a stereotype. And, Brandon....was exactly what Olivia - and honestly any girl - needed.

Cheyenne loves her friends, especially Eve Harmon and her parents. Whiskey Creek has been the first place she felt at home. Her mother who is now dying of cancer has never treated her youngest daughter with any care. She has looked out for herself and dragged her 2 girls around from one crappy place to another. Cheyenne's friends have left town for a cruise leaving her alone with her mother and sister. Eve has recently been pursuing Joe, Cheyenne's longtime high school crush. While Eve is away Joe has been pursuing Cheyenne. Not only does she feel guilty but she has been recently felt attracted to bad boy mechanic, Dylan. As she tries to stay away from him and his dangerous world she realizes that her mother has kept a secret which she could take with her in death.

So far this is my favourite Whiskey Creek novel...and it is only book 2! Cheyenne has this innocence that made me want to see her happy and protected from everything bad. I also felt for Presley and how she wanted to do right. There was so much happening in this novel and I am still thinking about it.

Callie has moved into her grandparents' farm under the guise of making renovations so they can finally sell the property. In truth Callie is hiding a secret from her family and friends about needing a liver transplant. As she prepares to deal with this on her own, one night a stranger appears on her doorstep bleeding and hurt. The stranger, Levi stays on to help Callie with the renovations as he recuperates and Callie realizes she is not the only one with secrets. As the two try and keep away from one another they find themselves more connected.

I am loving Novak's newest series, Whiskey Creek. As each novel comes available I am just inhaling them in a day. In the 3rd book we find out more about Callie and Kyle that was hinted in the last novel. In the previous novels I was not that interested in Callie's backstory but wow I was hooked from the first page. I liked the chemistry between Levi and Callie as they try and keep away from one another as they both see themselves as damaged. If you are looking for a small town contemporary romance with real heart this is the series for you!

COMING SOON...

Adelaide Davies, who's been living in Sacramento, returns to Whiskey Creek, the place she once called home. She's there to take care of her aging grandmother and to help with Gran's restaurant, Just Like Mom's. But Adelaide's not happy to be back. There are too many people here she'd rather avoid, people who were involved in that terrible June night fifteen years ago.

Ever since the graduation party that changed her life, she's wanted to go to the police and make sure the boys responsible — men now — are punished. But she can't, not without revealing an even darker secret. So it's better to pretend. . .

Noah Rackham, popular, attractive, successful, is shocked when Adelaide won't have anything to do with him. He has no idea that his very presence reminds her of something she'd rather forget. Neither does he know she's the reason his twin brother didn't survive that party at the old mine.

Wednesday, 27 February 2013

Hi, I am back! Sorry I have been away for so long but it has been a rough few months for me. With working kicking my ass, trying to figure out what I am doing in life and then having my Bibi (grandmother) pass away this month has been more than I can take. I have been reading but it's been up and down for me. Enough about me now - on with the show...

In The Aviator's Wife Anne Lindbergh is reviewing her life from when she meets Charles Lindbergh and their life together. Anne starts out as the wallflower daughter in between the beauty and wild child. She attends her mother's alma mater and does as an Ambassador's daughter is expected Then she meet Charles Lindbergh who is picked out to be her sister's future husband but it is Anne who enjoys his passion for flying. As the couple marry and Anne enters the public life of a celebrity she realizes she is alone in this marriage and life is not what she expected.

I had heard of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and that Charles Lindbergh was a great aviator but none of the personal details. Benjamin takes time with the kidnapping but does not let it overtake the novel or spend too much time on details. She let's Anne's heartbreak take the reader inside a mother's grief and how she must deal with it all publicly. We also get to see the strength of Anne outside of her relationship as an Author and a woman who is her husband's equal in flying. I liked this novel but it was not a page turner or something I was looking forward to reading next. I would recommend Benjamin's earlier novel, The Autobiography of Mrs. Thumb if you are looking for a more engrossing read.